Rain continues Wednesday afternoon; Flash Flood Warning in effect

Cars were driving through inches of water as streets flooded in downtown Springfield.

Flooding on South Westfield Street in Southwick.

A transformer issue on Feeding Hills Road near Hudson Drive closed one lane of traffic.

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WSHM) -

Steady rain moved through Western Massachusetts on Wednesday morning, prompting flash flood warnings for the entire region until 6 p.m. Rain is expected to continue into the early afternoon, then tapering off from west to east by the end of the day.

Forecasts call for a widespread one to two inches of rainfall. Heavier pockets of rain and embedded thunderstorms are also anticipated in a few locations. This will cause flooding in urban and poor drainage areas, as well as dangerous ponding of water on roadways. Small streams may also rise up over their banks.

While Springfield dealt with a moderate but persistent rain, Eastern Connecticut and Rhode Island were the hardest hit areas early Wednesday morning. The National Weather Service has already reported more than five inches of rain in Montville, CT. The town of East Lyme, CT, had two reports of about 4-and-a-half inches of rain, and various other locations reporting around two inches of rain as of 10:30 a.m.

Rainfall totals have stayed closer to a half-inch in the Springfield area, according to automated reports from Westover AFB, Barnes Municipal Airport, and Bradley International Airport. However, more rain is expected to continue into the afternoon, with steady downpours still possible in Springfield.